July 3, 2014

In Their Own Words VIII: Science Without Religion is Lame

[An ongoing series about the profoundly ironic theological / philosophical quotes that scientists or those in academia make.]Albert
Einstein is considered by many to be one of the most intelligent men to have
ever lived. Having been raised by secular Jewish parents, he abandoned his
faith early in life. It was also clear
that he was metaphysically or spiritually conflicted as evidenced by this quote…

“…a
religious person is devout in the sense that he has no doubt of the
significance of those super-personal objects and goals which neither require
nor are capable of rational foundation ... In this sense religion is the
age-old endeavor of mankind to become clearly and completely conscious of these
values and goals and constantly to strengthen and extend their effect. If one
conceives of religion and science according to these definitions then a
conflict between them appears impossible. For science can only ascertain what
is, but not what should be...”~ Albert Einstein [Religion and Science-New York
Times Magazine (1930)]

Einstein
more succinctly summarized the previous statement as follows…

“Science
without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.”

Einstein believed
in causality or a regress of causality that pointed back to an original cause
or God (Aristotle's Uncaused Cause explains this theory nicely). He conceded that the idea of a personal God interfering with natural
events could never be refuted, in the real sense, by science because religion
can always take refuge in areas that science cannot explain. Science, the way it is defined today, can only explain the physical or empirical realm, religion epistomologically belongs in the in the
metaphysical realm and explains the supernatural.

Most likely his apostasy or falling away from belief in God occurred because he had very little intellectually
or spiritually to root his faith in to begin with. He said he believed in a
pantheistic God of Baruch Spinoza which defined god as a singular self-subsistent
substance, with both matter and thought being one of this god’s attributes. He
did not on the other hand believe in a personal god which he would later
criticize.

What is
really interesting about Einstein is that he also considered himself an
agnostic, while disassociating himself from the label atheist. It is here again I sense the metaphysical conflict I mentioned earlier. To me it is surprising that a man who seemed to be so gifted by God with extraordinarily intelligence would be so troubled by a faith driven issue so easy to understand in the Bible. It was as if he refused to see it or believe it by choice. At least he was intelligent enough not to deny the idea of God outright and even
said so by criticizing his contemporaries that would adhere to a militant form
of atheism. He even went as far as to appreciate the stories of the Hebrew
Bible and the Passion of Jesus [3]

In rejecting
atheism outright Einstein made the following statement:

"I have
repeatedly said that in my opinion the idea of a personal God is a childlike
one. You may call me an agnostic, but I do not share the crusading spirit of
the professional atheist whose fervor is mostly due to a painful act of
liberation from the fetters of religious indoctrination received in youth. I
prefer an attitude of humility corresponding to the weakness of our
intellectual understanding of nature and of our own being."[2]

Additionally,
Einstein is also stated…

"In
view of such harmony in the cosmos which I, with my limited human mind, am able
to recognize, there are yet people who say there is no God. But what really
makes me angry is that they quote me for the support of such views."[1]

Albert was
indeed a smart man. Perhaps not smart enough to have read his Bible and found
the true God but smart enough not to deny the existence of God outright. Many
atheists could learn a lesson from Einstein’s tact. Unfortunately, many will
not because of their intellectual arrogance.